International Students Association wins prize

Victoria University's International Students' Association (ISA) were recognised as Australia's most active international student association for the second consecutive year at the 2016 Council of International Students Australia (CISA) Conference in Darwin recently.

The ISA executive team, led by President Sebastian Au, were thrilled with their win.

“The award signifies our relentless efforts for the bettering the international student experience at VU.

“It also motivates us to continue our efforts and to act as a positive example on a national level through consultations with student bodies from other universities.”

ISA is an independently run branch of the Victoria University Student Union (VUSU), represented by international student volunteers for VU international students. 

The team were nominated by Sue Oulton from VU International, with endorsements from VU Dean of Students Susan Young and current New Australian of the Year Gary Lee.

ISA impressed the judging panel with their array of events, programs and activities for international students, including day trips to the country, city tours, multicultural festivals, dinners, parties and a variety of workshops.

Sebastian believes getting involved at VU and developing a support network will help international students feeling homesick or lonely.

His tip for settling in is speaking English as much as possible and using opportunities at VU to make friends with people from countries other than their home country.

“If students achieve this, they will have a great time in Australia and ISA will always be there to support them along the way.”

International students who would like to get involved with ISA can contact the team via the VU ISA Facebook or [email protected] . 

Their next activity will be the VU ISA AFL Day on Friday 12 August at Etihad Stadium to cheer on the Western Bulldogs.